This week was TAN refreshing. As you know, we've been in the same area now for 13 to 14 weeks, we're looking at another 4 to 5 weeks together in this area, and WE HAVE KNOCKED EVERY SINGLE DOOR ALREADY! As you might be able to guess, the two hour mandatory knock out isn't our favorite time right now and we've been finding it REALLY hard to leave the apartment before our alarm goes off at 3:55 to tell us it's time to do Knockout. Discouraged isn't the right word for what we feel and neither is exhausted, it's something in between, I'm going to call it "Disughsted" (2% discouraged 98% exhausted and 100% "this absolutely sucks! we need a change!) Luckily, God knows us and our needs. and we got exactly that, a Change. We have a less active in our area that Loves the missionaries and the sharing the gospel (just won't come to church... figure that?) and she invited us over Wednesday night for a dinner at which we were going to meet and teach her friend (who lives with her) and her friend's cousin. We naturally agreed and BINGO WAS HIS NAME-O we got a two new investigators AND a member present lesson!!! (my first since Van Nuys and Elder Weinheimers first ever), best part, they're really cool.

That was a Nice change, but we still had the rest of the week, and not a lot of juice to run on, so we dragged ourselves out the door every day and did our best to work with a smile while the same people behind the same doors smiled and slammed the door in or faces again (some even asked, "didn't you knock here a few weeks ago?" before they slammed it in our faces) Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), we were ready for a break on Sunday from the normal routine, and Church was amazing. After church we went home and had lunch and did a little studying (by that I mean I read Ensigns while Elder Weinheimer took a much needed nap) until we heard that in-sufferable alarm go off at 3:55 to do knock out. We dragged ourselves out of the apartment and started knocking doors we'd already seen. We found a little pocket of doors that we'd missed (behind a looked garage door where your timing has to be just right to enter, so we felt okay about not knocking them) and had a little more ganas to knock them, but nothing came of it, so we went back to knocking the same doors over again. From this, we found 2 more investigators!! One even looks super solid and I can't wait to go back on Sunday to teach him (hopefully his wife joins us and we can pick up another investigator). We then had dinner again with the menos activa and her friend. This time we had another member with us and the friend's boyfriend came as well. We read from the Book of Mormon and then left after dinner.

We also were fed at least one dinner every day (not joking, we even had some with two meals). We did exchanges with Elder Engle and Elder Flores on Friday and Elder Engle and I had two dinners with only an hour in between to let one settle and make room for the second.

The baptism wasn't ours, but it was in our district. Elder Wall and Elder Raymond came to church with really interesting news. They are in a different ward, but have the same building (four different wards/branch share the stake center for their building). They told Elder Engle, the district leader, that they'd gotten a call from their investigator saying "Me voy a bautizar hoy, verdad?" (I'm going to get baptized today, right?) The answer was a very firm "CLARO QUE SI!" (OF COURSE!) so they quickly taught him all that he had left to learn (a little of the commandments and all of the laws and ordinances) and then had the interview and baptismal service one right after the other. It took him a total of two hours to finish being taught until he was baptized by one holding priesthood authority.

I'm so grateful for the authority of the priesthood. It is God's way to show he loves us and wants us to come home. I know that this authority was given to Joseph Smith and it is what gives us authority to not only baptize, but to do missionary work and wear His name (Jesus Christ) on our chests, buildings and in our hearts. I know that God loves us and wants us to be with Him again. As we strive to follow His plan for us, we will feel His love for us and His guiding influence in our lives. I love this gospel and all that I have learned and become here on the Lord's errand. I encourage you to read the Book of Mormon. If you haven't done it yet, do it for the first time. If you have, read it again. I know that as we read this Book, God's power will be more fully poured out on us in our lives and we will be guided by his spirit.